The Shy Angel
by Angela Ziegler
Summary: It's Jason's first day in a new school. He is struggling to fit until he meets a shy girl in his science class. Criticism is appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

It is a cool autumn day. The sky is clear without a cloud in sight. I was transferred to a new school and this is my first day. The school is in the beginning of the 2nd quarter of the year. It is between 5th and 6th period and I was in the hallway tagging along with some guys. Half of us are leaning against lockers while the others are standing up. They began talking about one of the guys crush on a girl in their class. He starts to turn slightly red.

"Come on guys, leave me alone. Don't you like someone, new kid?" says the embarrassed man

I shrugged and replied "No one in particular."

"Alright. Time is almost up anyways and we should get to class," He states

The group of boys disbands as everyone heads in different direction to get to their class.


	2. Chapter 2

I have science for my 6th period class and because I am new, I know no one in the class.

When I walked in, the teacher was assigning new seats to the members of the class.

"Hey, you are the new kid, Jason," the teacher, Mrs. Rose, says to me

"Yeah, I'm excited to start this class." I reply

"You can set in the 3rd seat in the 4th row, Jason." Mrs. Rose informs me

I get to my set and start unpacking my supplies. The bell is about the ring. All of a sudden the door opens. In walks a woman with golden blond hair in a pony tail. Her hair's color is so soft that it is almost white. Her eyes are hazelnut and a lock of hair is loose in the front of her face. She is wearing the school uniform which is a knee long black, pleated skirt, a bright white polo and a black vest with the school logo. She has subtle makeup which gives her eyes a faint smoky outline. She walks in looking at the ground and trying not to see the whole class staring at her.

"Welcome Mercy, you can sit next to the new kid." Mrs. Rose tells the girl "You can show him the ropes"

Mercy makes eye contact with me and quickly looks away.

She slowly walks down the room and gracefully sits next to me. The bell rings. The class begins and ends without much happening besides a few awkward eye contacts between me and Mercy.


	3. Chapter 3

That night, I thought of Mercy and how she looked. I couldn't help but be curious about Mercy because of how shy she is. I am lying in my bed and tossing around.

I thought to myself, "I better check the time and make sure I'm not staying up to late."

I roll over and see my digital clock which reads 12:37.

I went to bed at 10:30 and I have been rolling around thinking of Mercy for a while. Eventually I began drifting to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day in science class, we will beginning a group project and "your partner is the person next to you" said Mrs. Rose. That was Mercy for me. I need to introduce myself to her.

"Hello, my name is Jason," I nervously say to Mercy,

She looks up slowly and we exchange small smiles.

"Um, Hello, my name is M-Mercy," she says and blushes,

I wanted to break the ice so I ask her "What do you want to do after High school? I want to do something related to biochemistry but I don't know what college I want to go to,"

She replied excitedly, "I really what to be a doctor, there is nothing I like more than helping people."

"Being a doctor is really noble of you, you seem to be a very caring person"

"Oh yes, I want to be greatest doctor in the world" She pauses for a second and realizes that she has rambles on for too long. She then says apologetically, "Oh s-sorry, I'm getting off topic"

"It's no big deal, it's good to see that you're passionate"

"Oh, th-thank you" she states as she turns away trying to hide her blush.

We begin our project. It is a presentation on cells that we have to give to the class. We work diligently together for next couple weeks. Even though we are working together well, she still seems distant and answers question using few words.


	5. Chapter 5

It is the day for the presentation. Mercy is visibly nervous and is tapping her foot. Every time Msr. Rose calls up a group randomly, Mercy flinches slightly. Both of her hands are gripping her skirt. Then Msr. Rose says,

"Can Jason and Mercy come up in front of the class,"

Mercy freezes and doesn't stand up. I get up and walk up to front of the class and Mercy follows.

I whisper "Are you okay Mercy?"

She responds in very shaky voice "I-i'm f-fine" however she is obviously nervous. She is tightly clutching her notes cards as if she will rip them in half.

I begin the project,

"The cell is composed of many different organelles that have a specific function."

I go on to explain each organelle of the cell. Now it is Mercy's part.

The slide changes and then there is a small pause. Mercy is petrified. I look over to her and give a small nod.

Mercy says very timid, "Um, there are many different types of um cells"

The slide changes and I whisper at her, "Good job, keep going"

She continous her lines but they are still very choppy. Her face is buried in the notecards and she only looks at the class in between slides. Every now and then, I whisper something like "good job" or "you're doing great" to Mercy. I talk loud enough so she can hear me but quiet enough that the class can't.

She then reads her last lines and we both look at the class. The class applauds and Mercy's face becomes slightly more red. We go back to our sets .

I say to Mercy in order to calm her, "Don't worry, you did great. Public speaking is most people's greatest fear."

"Oh, you really think so" Mercy says in a happy tone as she is twisting a lock of hair. She becomes slightly more blush.

Mercy says, "We should work on the next project together. I really enjoyed working with you," She gives a faint smile.

I reply humorously, "You're are only person I'm sitting next to so I guess I'm stuck with you." I then give a small chuckle.

Mercy replies, "I'm s-sorry, I hope you're grade don't suffer because of me," Mercy becomes more reclusive and looks down.

I reply, "Oh no no, I really enjoyed working with you. I hope I can spend more time with you in the future."

Mercy chuckles, "Oh, silly me," She appears to be embarrassed.


	6. Chapter 6

A few days pass and Mercy and I are studying in the school's library. Mercy and I our wearing our school uniforms. Mercy has her hair in a tight bun on her head. We have been studying for about an hour and Mercy seems to be getting the information very well. She looks bored because I catcher her every now and then looking into the distance.

To break to silence, I decided to ask a couple of question.

"So why do you like doctoring so much?" I ask Mercy

Mercy instantly perks up and a cute smile forms on her face. Her eyes seem to shine at the thought of what she could become.

"I love the idea of becoming a doctor because the most important thing about recovery is the human element. I want to connect with people and change their life. Most doctors focus on giving medicine but I want to provide emotional support to make the patient feel comfortable with me."

I reply, "I really want to learn about biochemistry and become a scientist. I want to become famous for my discoveries and live a professional life."

I comedically remake, "well Angel, I guessed that make me the devil"

Mercy says, "No, that's not how you are, you are a very caring person. I know deep down you are genuine and I have seen it." she states confidently.

"Oh, you think so. That's very kind of you." I give her a warm hearted smile.

Mercy clams up and realizes what she says. Her face become a stark red.

I notice this and I decided to change the topic to something less intense.

"So, what do you do in your free time?" I ask her in an intrigued manor

"Oh, I study and watch documentaries." Mercy says shyly

"No, I mean what do you do for fun."

"Oh, I enjoy reading about mythology. More specifically, christian and norse. Well, what about you?"

I reply, "I like working with technology such as building computers. I enjoy tinkering with old computers I find around the house."

Mercy looks intrigued and asks, "How long have you been doing this, you must be very talented."

"I have been doing this for a few years, I broke a few old parts when I first started."

I look at my watch and realize how late it is. I inform Mercy about the time and she says she has to leave.

She gets to the door of the library and turns her head. A lock of hair on her head bounces because of the swift but graceful motion.

Mercy says in a slightly shaky voice, "I really enjoy this, w-we should do something like this again." It's obvious that in her mind, she planned out a confident statement but in practice, her timid nature got the best of her. She gives a warm smile and a long wave.


	7. Chapter 7

A few days have passed and the first snow of the year starts. The snow is falling very gracefully and is accumulating in 4 to 5 inches. I am wrapped in blankets and with computer parts sprawled out in front of me. I am planning on assembling a basic computer while my parents are out christmas shopping.

I am about halfway through when I hear a gentle knock on my door. The knock would have been missed had it not been of the fact that my house was peacefully silent. I got to my door to open it up. Outside is Mercy bundled up, head to toe. She is wearing snow pants and a heavy, black winter coat. She is wearing a black, wool scarf that is covering the lower half of her face. Her hair is tucked in a knitted hat. Her gloves are tightly fitted over her hands. She pulls down her scarf to reveal and a smiling, bubbly face.

"Hey Jason, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a walk around town with me." Mercy asks in an excited tone.

I was a little busy and caught off guard but there was no way I could say no.

"I would love too. What do you have in mind?"

"Perfect" she says as she claps her hands while her right leg curls up mid clap "I have a list of places we absolutely must go."

"Can you give me some time to change. You can wait in my house if you would like."

I gesture Mercy inside.

Upstairs, I look for the warmest clothing I have.

After I change clothes, I go to brush my teeth.

Thinking out loud, I say "Wow, I wasn't expecting this when I woke up today. It's almost like I didn't wake up at all."

I go downstairs to see Mercy clutching something and looking left and right frantically.

"I'm so sorry, I w-was checking out these parts over here but I broke something. I'm so sorry."

I reply, "Let me take a look, I'm sure it's nothing"

Despite this remark, Mercy still looks uneasy.

I tell Mercy, "Can I see the part?"

She slowly passses over the item was concealed in her hands. She was reluctant when passing it over and her hands are shaking when passing it over. They no longer have her gentle touch.

I sit down next to my half complete computer and the rest of the parts. She sits behind me and peers over my shoulder.

I examine the part passed to me. Mercy quietly talks to herself.

I tell Mercy, "This part is not damaged at all, I will be able to put it back together in no time."

I really want to go out Mercy now but I know that if I don't fix the computer, Mercy will not be able to focus. I put the part together quickly to make it seem like it's fixed.

I show the component to Mercy,

"See, easy fix. No need to get worked up. Now it is time to go on our walk."

Mercy looks up slowly, "Are you sure" as she is wiping her eyes.

"Yeah, all better now. Shall we be off?"

Mercy replies, "Alright, let's go now"


	8. Chapter 8

After walking for a little bit, Mercy returns to an energetic mood. We are walking in a park with snow falling around us. We are on a concrete path surrounded by a meadow with sparingly placed trees.

Mercy states, "Winter is my favorite season. As a kid, I would spend hours in the snow."

As we are walking, we come across a small mound of snow. Overcome with nostalgia, Mercy naturally falls into the snow and starts making a snow angel. I chuckle and join her by making one next to her. I can hear her childish giggling. When I get up, I notice that she has begun rolling a ball of snow.

Mercy exclaims, "Come on Jason, make the middle section of the snow man"

Mercy make very smooth and symmetrical snowballs. On the contrary, mine were bumpy and jagged.

As I finish the placing the ball on the snowman, Mercy has already finished the head and places it over mine. Mercy then uses her thumb to poke two holes for eyes and a smile.

Mercy asks, "What should we name him?" with a sense of childish excitement.

"Well, what would you have named it as a kid?"

A radiant smile forms on her face,"How about we name him Jason Junior, the very caring snowman?"

" _I guess it's my turn to hide blushes."_ I think to myself.

Mercy inspects the snowman close. As she is intensely looking at the snowman, a well packed snowball hits her face. I am chuckling as Mercy falls to her knees and looks at the snow. However, Mercy doesn't respond so I begin to worry that I hurt her.

"Are you ok? I didn't mean to hurt you." I walk over to Mercy with panic in my voice.

When I get close to her, she pops up and throws a snowball directly in my face.

We then exchange dozens of blows until both of us our exhausted. After I throw my snowball, I notice that my gloves are too thin for the weather and are soaked.

I take off my gloves and start rubbing my hands together. Suddenly Mercy's hands cup mine. We both immediately blush until Mercy stammers out, "Y-you looked cold". I don't get rember my hands getting warm but I do remember my face lighting up.


	9. Chapter 9

After my hands warm up, we walk downtown to an italian bistro.

We enter and we are swiftly seated.

Mercy removes her hat and her hair cascades down passed her shoulders. I can't help but stare at her until she snaps me back to reality.

"Are you ok, Jason? Are you sick?" Mercy inquires

I am shaken

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

The waiter then arrives.

The waiter asks, "What can I get for you?"

I reply, "Can I have the pasta alfredo."

The waiter then asks, "And for you Miss?"

Mercy stutters a bit "Um, can I have the um pasta with marinara sauce, please?"

"Sure thing" replies the waiter

The waiter then starts to have a conversation with us.

"So, do you guys go to the high school down the block from here?"

I reply, "Yeah, it's a pretty nice school."

The waiter then asks Mercy of what she thinks of the school.

"I really like my s-school." Mercy replied awkwardly.

"So how long have you two been together?" the waiter asks.

"Together?" I ask

"How long have you been dating?" the waiter clarifies confidently

Mercy begins to intensely blush and excuses herself from the table. I'm slightly blushing but not as much as Mercy whose face looks like a tomato. The waiter apologised and retreats to the kitchen.


	10. Chapter 10

After 5 minutes or so, Mercy comes back. Her face returns to a normal color and she is hugging her right arm.

We finish our food in silence and leave.

"So I have one last thing I want to go to," Mercy says quietly

I try to forget about the waiter by being excited.

"Sure thing," I respond

Mercy leads me to a trail in the woods, we walk about a quarter mile in. We reach a stream that is frozen over due to the weather. Mercy gets off the trail and climbs down on top of the ice. I slowly descend after her.

As she is crossing the ice, I notice that Mercy was about to slip. I run over to catch her but I slip as well. She lands on top of me and we both fall down. Mercy gets off of me and sits next to me. We wait for a few seconds then we both hysterically laugh. At this moment we forgot about the whole waiter incident.


	11. Chapter 11

After that, I walk Mercy to her house. The mood is much lighter than it was before. On the way home, we made jokes and talked about our lives. At the door of Mercy's house, I decided to address the waiter incident.

"Hey Mercy, we should put the whole waiter thing behind us. He made a mistake from an assumption."

"You're right, I sort of overreacted. Overall, I had a great time."

I say to Mercy, "The waiter is right, we do make a cute couple however."

We both laugh and say goodbye.

 _Inside, Mercy was thinking about Jason's comment and if he was serious._


	12. Chapter 12

I am out walking in downtown contemplating a serious question; what to get Mercy for chrisman. We have been friends for a while I feel that it would be a nice gesture to give her a gift. Downtown is normally bustling with townspeople going to and from shops however now everyone happily moves from to store to store wondering what to buy for their loved ones. All of the historical building in downtown are outlined with christmas lights and the center of town has a large christmas tree. I need to give her a very personal gift to she her that I care. And then it hit me, a personal christmas ornament. I know that there is a craftsman that has a small shop just a few buildings down.

As I walk into the woodshop, the pleasant smell of sawdust greets me. The shelves are finely crafted and are polished. Many small wooden statues and other trinkets are on these shelves. The owner is a 30 year old man who is wearing a tucked in plaid shirt with well worn jeans. He is gruff but pleasant man and the christmas season has but him in an even better mood.

"Hello" he says to me in a deep and welcoming voice, "What can I do for you?"

"Hello, I can you make me a custom christmas tree topper"

"Sure thing, young man,"

"I was thinking of the ornament being an angel with the face a friend of mine,"

"Just a friend?" The shop keeping inquiries as he rises one of his eye brows "this is a very personal"

I respond quickly, "How long should this take?"

"Not long at all, maybe a couple of days. I assume you have a picture of this 'friend' so I know what to make."

I just realize I don't have a picture of Mercy.

I reply, "I guess I don't have one, I will have to get it soon."

"Well make it quick, don't leave the lady waiting. Christmas is about a week away."

I thank the shop keeper for his time and leave.

As I exit the shop and walk around for a couple of minutes. I approach a snow covered bench and brush it off. I sit down for a little bit. Suddenly I hear a whisper in my ear.

"Hey Jason"

I turn my head and see Mercy sitting next to me. She was so gracefully when sitting down that I didn't notice her at first.

"Have you been following me around, Mercy?" I humorously ask

She blushes and says, "I wouldn't that, I happened to be in the area."

"So what are you doing around here?"

"I'm out here Christmas shopping"

"Oh, can I help you finish?"

"Of course!"

Jason follows Mercy and helps her carry her bags.


	13. Chapter 13

We arrive at Mercy's house. She is unpacking the bags hiding them from her family in a closet. I notice an old polaroid camera resting on a cabinet. I sneak over to the camera and inspect it. I see that it is full of film. I look over my shoulder to make sure she still has her back to me. I fire up the camera and wait for Mercy to look back.

Mercy gracefully look behind her and I quickly snap a picture. However the click was as loud as a gunshot and the flash was a bright as the sun. Mercy became flustered and confused however I was completely petrified. Mercy doesn't know what is going on and retreats to her bedroom frantically. I follow her up with a walking speed. I knock on her bedroom door.

"Are you okay in there Mercy?" I ask her, "I'm sorry if I startled you."

There is a small silence. I rest my back upon the door and slide down until I'm sitting at the foot of the door. I hear Mercy on the other side doing the same thing and breathing heavy.

"I was just messing around with camera. If it makes you feel better, you look gorgeous in the picture." I say to comfort Mercy.

"C-can I s-see?" Mercy stutters out weakly

I slide the photo under the door.

There is a small pause and the door slowly opens.

"May I keep the picture at least?" I ask Mercy,

"Sure thing, Jason. I don't see like it so much. I think I need some time to myself, I enjoyed the hanging out with you at least." Mercy sounds as if it was forced.

I leave and head over to the craftsman to give him the picture.


	14. Chapter 14

After a couple of days, I pick up the ornament. I decided to bring it straight over to Mercy.

I get to Mercy's house and middle aged woman with blond hair answers the door.

"So you must be Mercy's new friend, it's nice to finally meet you." The women tells me

"Nice to meet you too, mama."

"She talk about you all the time" as she chuckles, "We are having a small Christmas party with a few friends, do you want to join us?"

"Sure thing,"

I enter the house and look for Mercy. She is relaxing on a sofa playing with her hair. She is away from the chatter of the adults in the other room. I sit down next to her.

"I'm sorry that what happened earlier, just know it was for a good cause."

I pass over a gift box to Mercy and she becomes intrigued.

She unwraps the gift and opens the box. Her face instantly lights up.

"So this is what the photo was for?" She asks,

"Yes, do you like it?"

Mercy responds by giving a warm hug. I return the hug and we hold this for a while. After we finish hugging, she rest her head on my shoulder and gives off a sigh of relief. We continue talking with Mercy keeping her head on my shoulder.

I get up to leave and Mercy walks me to the door. We stop under an archway and look up. We see mistletoe and then Mercy look at the ground.

Mercy mutters, "Well, it's tradition"

She quickly leans in and kisses my cheek. She backs off quickly and blushes.

"Well is that all, Mercy?" I hear from behind me. It was Mercy's mom and she saw the "kiss".

Mercy quickly becomes embarrassed.

Mercy sniffles a little bit and tries to change the topic.

"So Mom, look at what Jason gave me." Mercy tells her mother and hands over the ordainment.

"Wow, this looks absolutely lovely. This is going on the tree."

Mercy's mom walks over to the tree and hangs it front and center on it. Mercy becomes even more embarrassed by this.

"Well, it's time for me to get going." I tell both of the ladies.

Mercy opens the door for me and I head home.


	15. Chapter 15

It is the first day after break. I'm in first period calculus and everyone is absolutely exhausted from the sudden change in their day to day schedule. The teacher coughs and stands before the class. He announces, " Class we have a new student joining us today". The class gives off a low murmur of curiosity and excitement. I myself am fairly curious about who the new student is and considering that the only open seat in the whole class is next to me. I figured I would have to interact with them regularly. Suddenly, the door opens and in walks a short, thin and brown haired Korean girl, briskly walks towards the front of the class. She wears a warm smile and looks very awake in contrast to the rest of the class."Hello I am Hana Song". As she is motioned by the teacher to take a seat near to me, she realizes who her neighbor will be. Her eyes shine with glee and nostalgia. Something about her is oddly familiar and gets me thinking about why on Earth she recognized me. She takes a seat next to me and says " you thought you could escape me did you!" Suddenly all of the prices fall into place and only one word leaves my mouth. " "?


	16. Chapter 16

_**8 years ago...**_

I was in elementary school. I'm at a local park by myself watching from the swings other kids play kick ball. I am dragging my feet through the mulch underneath me. I didn't see it but a 6th grader pushes me off the swing. I fall to the ground and collect myself. I sit up with teary eyes and see my attacker.

The 6th grader yells at me, "What are you doing here fricking loser?"

I am still shocked about my fall that I can't respond.

He pushes me again and I fall to my back. My legs and arms scrape against the mulch and start to slightly bleed.

I hear off in the distance, "Leave that kid alone!"

A brown haired girl that is the same height as the 6th grader runs over. The 6th grader is startled and runs back to his friends that are watching in the distance. The girl offers me a hand and pulls me up.

She asks me, "Are you okay? That kid was really a jerk!"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for helping me." I respond

"So what is your name? Mine is Hana."

"I'm Jason,"

"Do you swing together?" She asks me

"Sure, swings are my favorite playset."

We swing together for awhile until I have to go home


	17. Chapter 17

It's a year later. Hana and I are very close friends that spend a lot of time together. We are both in my treehouse outside my old home. We have been taking all night about comic books and cartoon.

Hana says to me, "Hey Jason, we need nicknames!"

"What for?" I respond

"To show that we know more about each other than anybody else,"

"Alright, what is my nickname?"

"Hmm, how about Indy which is short for Indian Jones, your favorite movie?"

"I like it. I think I'll call you… , your favorite superhero."

Hana responds, "I love it!"

And thus was born


	18. Chapter 18

For the most of class we got caught up with current events. She had spent most of her time honing her skills on the local arcade breaking all of the current high scores. She spoke with pride about those achievements. Furthermore she plans on becoming a programmer after high school. I began to share my story of what I had done for the past year. As well as some helpful directions around town.


	19. Chapter 19

Mercy and I finished studying at the schools library and we are heading home. Outside, we are by the school's athletic fields and a group of young kids are playing soccer. It is unusually warm for January but still chilly. Mercy can't help but to look over and see a kid holding his knee at the soccer field. He seems to be in pain and the kids don't know how to act. Mercy hurries over to the field before I could react. When I get over, Mercy is pulling out bandages and disinfectants from her backpack. Mercy begins applying the disinfectant but he kid flinches from the stinging. She then places the bandage over the cut.

"Wow, you sure are tough. Most kids your age are not as resilient as you," Mercy says to the kid as she flashes him a smile. Her face looks warm and inviting as if she personally knew the child.

"There, all better." She exclaimed,

"T-thank you, miss." The boy shyly says.

Mercy begins to lecture on what actions the boy should take to ensure that the wound would not get infected. She gives a thorough good bye and stands up. As we walk back, I turn to speak to Mercy.

"Aren't you virtuous. The second you suspected he was hurt you took off running." I remark

Mercy shyly casts her gaze to the earth and says, "I-I'm just trying to be a good doctor n-nothing more, nothing less,"

Mercy stutters, "It really was nothing special."

She says this as if her voice was disappearing.

"Well, I guess I'm in good hands" I respond.

Mercy puffs up her chest and stands a little bit straighter, "I am able to treat any and all cuts or infections!" She says this with a bit of confidence.

I chuckle and respond, "At this rate, you're fixing to become the world's greatest doctor."

Mercy's eyes light up and she brings both of her hands over her chest and hops towards me excitedly.

"Really, you really think so?!" She asks with a bubbly, bright smile that the sun would envy.

I can see this because she is about two inches from my face gazing into my eyes. It only takes a few seconds of this to turn the excited Mercy into a introvert. She blushes and quickly backs away.

"Sorry I p-probably look like a foolish little girl when someone u-uses that line on me" she says blushing but still smiling.

"I wouldn't have you any other way." I laugh. The rest of the walk home was uneventful, but we made small talk until the unfortunate goodbye.


	20. Chapter 20

Over a few days, and I got more acquainted. We exchanged our new phone numbers and house addresses.

It's the weekend and I planned on spending it messing with computer parts and watching tv. I'm on my couch when the doorbell rings. As I approached the door I could hear the murmur of what seems to be two women arguing over something, but I could not tell what they were going on about. Once I opened the door, I am greeted to the sight of invading Mercy's personal space, questioning her a mile a minute

"Who are you?" "What are you doing here?" "How do you know Jason?" "What's your relationship with him?" demanded.

Mercy tried to respond but her timid nature and the suddenness of the questions were too much for the poor girl.

"U-um i-i" she weakly gave out.

ignoring the lack of answers and she pressed on with her interrogation.

"I'll have you know that you are trespassing on my best friend's territory!" announced.

"Your best friend?" Mercy replied assertively. However the deep blush on her face did not help her intimidation tactics.

I began to realize that this argument was not only pointless, but would last an eternity if left uninterrupted.

"What are both of you doing here?" I inquire.

is naturally the first to respond.

"I was coming to visit my best friend until I found this woman lurking outside your house" she slurred the words "best friend" just to spite mercy.

"I was not lurking! I was going to invite Jason to a stroll." Mercy replied clearly offended by the accusations levied against her.

scoffs and retorts.

"Clearly you don't know Jason. A walk, really what is this, the 50'S?"

Finally I break the argument.

"Look, both of you need to calm down!" I demand

Both girls become taken aback by my outburst. looked surprised while Mercy only blushed and looked to the ground.

"Let's introduce one another, shall we?" I ask. I gesture to mercy.

" , the blond you see before you is named Mercy. She is a shy, introvert but has a knack for becoming very caring and empathetic when someone is injured."

I then say, "Mercy, this is Hana, or as I refer to her ' '." I point to the short brunette.

was visibly irritated that her secret nickname was revealed to someone she had just met and protested.

"Shes not supposed to know that!"

Before any argument could kick off I interrupted.

"I trust Mercy and in time I know you will trust her."

could only sigh.

"How long have you known each other?" pressed.

"A f-few months now" Mercy replied meekly.

I ask , "So why did you come over here, anyways?"

To this, responds, "Just to hang out and play videogames."

"Well that conflicts with what Mercy wants to do. "How about we go for a walk and get to know each other?"

looks like she is about to protest this

decision and only pouts and looks visibly agitated. But does not say anything.

Mercy whispers from behind me

"Thank you." I glance behind me to see the blonde giving me a small cute smile for my actions.


	21. Chapter 21

We begin walking together in the same park Mercy and I walked in earlier in the Winter. The scene was similar however replacing the pure white snow of the winter with tall green grass and trees thick with healthy green leaves that blocked out the sky. On either side of us, we are flanked with dense forests. The breeze softly rustles the leaves above us. The only two sounds that could be heard was the leaves and our footsteps. That was until decided to interrupt.

"Why couldn't we just stay at home and play videogames or go to the arcade? Or something!"

"Oh come on, this is going to be good for you," I teased.

"Besides this is a perfect time to share each other's story as to how we meet" I try to provide a topic to distract .

The question was ignored and I have decided to change the subject.

" , I believe that you never actually told me why you had to come here? Care to take the lead?" I ask.

sighs and begins. "I had to move due to… family reasons." She got quiet, it is startling as this was completely unlike her.

"So, where did you meet… her?" asks in a very condescending tone.

"She has a name, you know. Second of all, I meet her is science class." I replay somewhat annoyed by her hostility.

seems unsatisfied by this explanation and presses on. "Just meet in science class?"

"We were partners for a project." I respond.

"Then why do you two still hang out?"

"Why do you care? I haven't seen you in seven year." I respond in a hostile tone.

, irritated at the fact that she will not get answers from me storms over to mercy. For what I could only assume was to gouge answers from her. 's face came within inches of Mercy's face. Mercy seams on the brink of tears with the unnecessary aggression.

I becomes obvious that I need to intervene in order to ensure that this did not become a fight.

"Hana, what are you doing, this is nothing like the girl I knew when we were kids." I plead.

Abruptly, Mercy begins to start walking away from us. She gets about ten yards away before kneeling down onto the gravel path. I take off after her but stays behind. Once I meet up with Mercy, she speaks up at me with tears in her eyes.

"A-am I in th-the way o-of you and Hana?" She barely chokes out against her tears.

I kneel down beside her and put my hand on her shoulder.

"You're not to blame for any of this." I say to try to comfort Mercy.

Mercy turns to me and presses her forehead against my shoulder. I can hear her quietly sobbing and can feel tears run down my shirt. I taps Mercy's shoulder and she looks up at me. She has tears running down her cheek ruining her makeup. I brush off the lock of hair that is covering her right eye. With my thumb, I wipe away the tears on her face. I give her a reassuring smile and grab her elbow to help her getting up.

"Mercy… I think you should go home. I will deal with Hana." I say calmly.

Mercy nods and slowly walks away while occasionally looking over her shoulder.

I look over to who is looking at the ground. I walk over to her.

says to me, "So why don't you walk home with your girlfriend over there?" in a sarcastic tone.

"First of all, she is not my girlfriends, but that's beside the point. You barely know her, why are you acting like this?" I say trying to stay calm.

crosses her arms, looks away and grunts.

I try to get pass ignoring my by saying "I know it's been a long time since we last meet but you have to expect that I would make new friends at some point."

lets out a sigh and softens her facial expression. Her once tightly locked arms relax.

"If you apologize to Mercy, we can forget all of this and move on. We can do whatever you want whether it being playing video games or messing with computers."

looks down and puts her arms behind her back.

"Fine," she concedes.

We both walk out of the park but to our surprise, we find Mercy waiting impatiently on a bench.

I nudge to go talk to her.

walks over and both girls stare each other in the eyes for a solid 30 second.

blurts out, "I'm… sorry." and then lets out a sigh.

I grab the bridge of my nose because I know this solves nothing but I have to make good on the promise I made to .


	22. Chapter 22

The next day, came over at 8 am which especially early for . I go to the door half asleep. I'm wiping my eyes because just woke up. I open the door to reveal the young brunette visibly excited.

I invite into my house and she lays down on my sofa. I sit next to her and turn on my tv and console. I take note of how comfortable is getting.

says to me, "I got this new game that we have to play."

She gets up and inserts the disk in the system.

"So when did you get this game, ?" I ask her.

"I got it yesterday to play with you." She responds happily.

"Just for me?" I ask, "That's nice of you."

I think to myself that this is suspicious.

We play together for a while making small talk about the new school.

After we talk about the school, asks, "Remember when we played the original version of this game when we were kids?"

I respond, "Yeah, I could never forget those days."

We continue playing until I couldn't take the act anymore.

"Why are you doing this?" I ask .

"What do you mean?" replys

"You went out to buy a game just to play with me, you act like we were never apart and you forgot all about yesterday. Whats up?"

is silent for a moment..

After a few seconds, mutters, "I have just moved here and you are the only friend I have. I'm afraid of losing you."

"We can still be friends, you just need to understand that I can have multiple friends."

"You're right. I guess I have been overreacting." says sheepishly.

We finish playing a while after and then leaves.


	23. Chapter 23

is walking home and thinking to herself.

 _I was being a little ridiculous with how protective I was with Jason_

gets home and I greeted by her mother.

"How was it playing with your old friend, Jason?" She asks .

"It was fun." responds quickly to her mother.

"Are you okay, Hana? I know I can be difficult now that we no longer live with your father."

"I have been doing fine, I just been having a hard time getting situated at my new school."

retreats to her room and plays video games for the rest of the day.


	24. Chapter 24

I arrived at my first period class to be greeted by .

"Ready for the test today?" She asks me in a perky mood.

"You betcha." I respond confidently

"Good, because I'm not."

I get seated and the teacher passes out the test.

After a while, taps my shoulder.

She whispers to me, "What did you get for number 6?"

"I am not going to be dragged down because you didn't study." I say and look back at my paper.

A bit later, whispers, "pleeease."

I firmly reply, "No." then I pause for a bit. "I'm not going to help you cheat."

After the test, waits in the hallway with her arms folded. I finish packing up and she meets me when I leave.

"Can we study after school, together?" asks me reluctantly.

"Sure, we can meet in the library." I respond.

"Thanks, Jason. I own you one." Then she walks off.


	25. Chapter 25

I get to 6th period science and sit next to Mercy.

"So Jason, since we have a test tomorrow, do you want to study?" Mercy asks me.

"Sure thing, you can join me and today after today."

"O-oh, I don't want to be a nuisance." Mercy stutters out.

"No, I would enjoy it if you came. Maybe you and could get along better because of this."

"Alright, that sounds good. I will see you there." Mercy responds with a smile.


	26. Chapter 26

I arrive at the library to find that Mercy has already claimed a table for us. I sit down next to Mercy and start unpacking my backpack. We have some small talk for a bit and then arrives. She has a surprised look on her face after she notices Mercy next to me.

"You didn't tell me that Mercy was going to be here... If you did i would have brought more snacks for us". remarks. This surprises me and I wonder to myself why she has decided to act nice to Mercy. But i'm not going to complain any time soon.

"Turns out all three of us have a biology test in a few days so i invited mercy to come along as she knows more than the both of us combined". I say to . Mercy blushes at the comment but continues to unpack.

"So can you guys refresh me on this unit" asks.

"I don't remember much either, Mercy what can you tell us?" I ask politely. Mercy's eyes light up as when I asked her about her passtion. Mercy began to go on her lesson on diseases and how to treat them, never missing a beat or fumble with any words. Her confidence is through the roof.

whispers into my ear.

"Wow, that's a complete one eighty from what she is usually like". says surprised.

I chuckle "yeah once you get her going there is no stopping her." I joke lightheartedly. Once mercy gives the refresher on the whole unit brakes out the snacks dividing them amongst us.

Me and started to chow down, crinkling bag and getting crumbs on the table. I shortly notice Mercy slowly eating each chip one by one carefully. I slow down myself and start to eat normally.

We finish eating and throw our trash away. After that, we continue studying. Mercy talks the most while I chime in every now and then. is mostly quiet and nods occasionally. Even though is quiet, she is very focused and pays attention. The time flew by so fast that we didn't notice it was 9 o'clock.

I say to the group, "Looks like it is time to go. Mercy needs her beauty sleep."

Mercy gets a little bit embarrassed but catches that I was joking. She replies, "Yeah, looking this good requires at least 10 hours of sleep."She blushes as she says this, but it is an improvement from usual. Normally she looks off into the distance seemingly pondering if I meant it. Now she understands what humor is. But that does not stop her from getting flustered with the implications. After a few shared laughs we all head home for the night.


	27. Chapter 27

All three of us started walking home. It is fairly dark out because of how late it is. We are just talking about school and the upcoming test. After a while, we drop off at her house.

Mercy and I walk on for a little bit. We walk down the familiar woods that the both of us had enjoyed those months ago. As we came to a small clearing, I remembered the exact location where we built our snowman. It was also apparent that Mercy remembered this place as she spun around to take in the scenery causing her skirt to rise up a little. After a moment Mercy began to speak,

"You know, we've made a lot of progress from when we first met." She sighed with nostalgia.

"A few months ago I could barely talk to anyone and wanted to fly under everyone's radar." She said shyly.

"I-I was quite a wreck in all due honesty"she stammered

"I stutter when talking to strangers, freeze in front of crowds and get easily get flustered with jokes and compliments." She said pushing her pointer fingers together.

"Most people just find me unresponsive and just a hindrance that gets in the way."she blushed looking at the ground. Before I could interject, she interrupted me.

"B-But then you came"she lost her composure for a second blushing profusely.

"You out of everyone took a chance on a random shy girl on your first day of school." She smiled at me.

"Because of you I feel comfortable, at least around you." She said softly.

"And some of my best memories are here in this field with you!" As she said this she spun around and spread her arms out towards the field they played in during the winter.

"I remember the snowball fights, the snowmen, and." She blushed after that.

"What I remember most of all was your gloves being too thin for the cold and I took your hands in mine." She ended with a blush on her face but confidence in her voice. Slowly she approached me and with the gentleness of an angel took my right hand with her left and wrapped her right arm around mine.

"Care to be a gentleman and escort me home?" She giggled. I could tell she was trying to be funny.

"It is my sworn duty." I chuckle. All the way back to her house I could only concentrate on the warmth of my hand and the happy memories of our friendship.


	28. Chapter 28

Today is the last day of school and all of the seniors are practicing graduation in the school's theater. The whole day was very slow and comprised of watching videos in all of my classes. The only thing that was interesting is the graduation practice. Mercy, and I are together then we notice that there is only a few minutes left of school. Everyone in the theater started counting down which is meet with the bell ringing after the counting. The whole senior class hurries out of the school leaving Mercy, and myself in the theater by ourselves. We all walk out to the parking lot together and get in my car. I drive us off into the sunset leaving the school in the distance.

To be continued in part 2...


	29. Author's Notes

Thank you all for the support for the first part of our story. We are a team of three that does the majority of our work from between 11pm and 4am on Saturday nights. We are currently working on a spin off that involves Jason and as kids which will tell a story from their childhood. After that is released, we will begin work on part 2. Also, we will be working on chapter lengths for our future works.


	30. Chapter 30: The Pier

At the lake by the edge of town, there is a pier that houses the local carnival. Striped tents and games line the pier with an impressive ferris wheel towers above it. The sun has recently set and the sky is dotted with gleaming stars. It seems the entire town has gathered here to partake in a community event. Happy couples walk hand in hand, groups of friends meander about, parents stroll about with their children. The densely packed aisles of the carnival are lined with food vendors and attractions. The alluring sweet smell of cotton candy fills the air and the iconic carnival music is humming in the background.

Jason and Mercy are walking side by side while trying to catch up with D. Va. She has ran ahead because she sees her favorite childhood carnival game. Mercy is looking very nice tonight with her white dress with red accents that twirl around the dress. I am wearing a simple polo and cargo shorts. D. Va approaches the target shooting range and hands the attendant two dollars. She picks up a BB gun and aims down the sight.

"Wait for us, D. Va!" I exclaim before she could start without us.

To which, D. Va replies, "Maybe I'm too fast for you guys? I'll let you guys play but don't be a sore loser when I win,"

I hand the attendant four dollars and Mercy and I pick up a BB gun. I aim with my BB gun and look over to see Mercy struggling to find a way to hold the gun.

"Here Mercy, hold it like this." D. Va says as she walks behind Mercy and helps correct her stance.

"Thank you, D. Va!" Mercy cheerfully responds.

"I'm just trying to make it more of a challenge for me," D. Va says with a smug smile

All three of us line up and a bell rings. Circular targets start sliding through the range. D. Va starts picking off most of the targets before they can get halfway through. I'm struggling to hit one but I am still able to make a few good shots. D. Va has been stealing most of my targets. Mercy on the other hand, started off making a few decent shots but each time she made a shot, she adjusted her position a little bit. I have never seen a more focused expression on her than the one she has on now. D. Va currently has the highest score but Mercy starts to creep up on her. The clock off to the side of the stall has less than 15 seconds on it. Just as this was happening, a very small target appears in the very back of the range. D. Va focus all of her efforts on it but is unable to hit the target. Mercy lines up a shot. She has laser like focus. The trigger is pulled and the target falls. The bell rings again when the clock reaches zero. Mercy wins by a narrow margin.

Mercy puts down her BB gun and crosses her hands,

"Good game, but you should really work on your balance. I can help you out later when I get the chance," Mercy says with a smirk on her face,

"Beginners luck," D. Va says quietly

"Want to get food?" I ask the girls

D. Va enthusiastically replied, "Yes!"

We all walk down one of the lanes of the carnival and D. Va stops at almost every food stall to pick up some fried food. At the end of the lane, we sit down at a table near edge of the pier. D. Va lays out all of her food on the table taking up most of the space. I got a burger and some fries while Mercy got only a hot dog.

"Do you know how bad fried food is for you, D. Va?" Mercy says to D. Va.

Because D. Va is stuffing her face with fried foods, she can only manage to say a very muffled, "I don't care"

Mercy is looking on with horror with how fast D. Va is shoveling food into her mouth.

Mercy and I start eating our relatively tiny meals.

"So Mercy, what do you want to do next?" I ask her while D. Va is stuffing her mouth in the background.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the ferris wheel." Mercy replies.

"Sure thing, I love the ferris wheel!" I reply with excitement.

Just as we are done talking, D. Va finishes a fennel cake which is the last item of food she got. The table is littered with trash from all the food D. Va got.

" Let's go to the ferris wheel!" D. Va cheers as we all get up and start walking.


	31. Chapter 31: Ferris Wheel

We all arrive at the ferris wheel which is located at the heart if the carnival. The ferris wheel has many two seater karts which are all different colors. The line for the attraction is moderately sized but not long enough to be deterring.

D. Va notices the line and lets out a moan, "Ugh, I don't want to wait in this line."

"Don't worry D. Va, the line wouldn't take that long" I assure she.  
We get about halfway through the line when a carny at a nearby stall gets on a microphone and says, "Last call to join and get a chance to win the grand prize!"

Upon hearing this, D. Va lights up

"I know that game by heart, I will win easily!" D. Va says with a sense of giddiness in her voice, "Sorry Mercy and Jason, I got to do this."

D. Va vaults over the railing of the line and runs over to the stall.

"I guess that leave the two of us," I say to Mercy,

"At least we don't have to fight over seats now," Mercy replies

We finally get up to the platform of the ferris wheel. The operator gives us the short safely spiel then we get on the next kart to enter the platform. Shortly after we get on and the kart starts

lifting, we can see D. Va triumphantly lifting a large stuffed cat over her head.

"How many more of those do you think D. Va will win by the end of the night?" I jokingly ask Mercy.

Mercy cheerfully giggles and replies, "Who knows!"

Mercy looks over the side of the kart off towards the lake while I sit back and take in the scenery. The other side of the lake is dotted with the lights of scattered houses and docks. We start to get higher on the ride allowing us to see the whole fair. The sea of tents and stalls looks breathtaking from this view. When we get close to the top of the ride, the night's firework show starts to go off. The golden explosions of each rocket lights the area up allow me to see Mercy. She has her light blond hair in a french braid and a smile on her face. At this moment, I realize that I have feelings for this women. The whole time I knew her, I had an attraction to her but I never really acknowledged it. I remember all the fun things we did together during the school year and I start thinking of all the great adventures that await us. The glittering light of the fireworks reflect off of the lake and the crackles echo through the trees.

"Isn't this amazing, Jason?" Mercy asks me with a large smile on her face,

"I uh.. yeah um. I-It is, the view from up here makes it even better," I reply desperately trying to remain collected. Thankfully Mercy was more focused on the display than me. During the entire ride down, my only real view of Mercy is the soft glow of the fireworks highlighting her features. Capturing them in their eternal beauty.

After what felt like an eternity, the fireworks dissipate and our ferris wheel ride comes to an end.


	32. Chapter 32: Friendly Competition

D. Va runs over to the exit of the ferris wheel to greet me and Mercy.

"There still are a few games I want to beat before we call it a night!" D. Va excitingly tells me and Mercy

"You lead wa…"

I am cut short by D. Va taking off. Mercy and I look at each other and we both head off to try to follow D. Va.

After chasing D. Va for a while, we all arrive at a strong man game. The game is next to the edge of the pier. I lean on the railing and look over the lake while trying to catch my breath. I look over and see D. Va struggling to pick of the large hammer for the strength test. She is eventually barely able to lift it over her head and then swing with all her might. The hammer strikes the lever on the machine. Despite the massive amount of effort put in by D. Va, the puck lifts up only a pathetic height. It takes all of my dignity and manhood not to bust out laughing.

Mercy comes up from behind D. Va and places her hand on D. Va's shoulder.

"You can't win every game her, D. Va. There are so many stands and booths that it is not possible for you to win them all." Mercy says in a vain attempt to try to comfort D. Va, who is looking annoyed.

All of a sudden, D. Va perks up.

"Jason! You should try this game!" D. Va says to me in an enthusiastic tone.

"I'm not so sure about this," I say to D. Va with a hint of uncertainty in my voice. I had just ran the length of the pier to keep pace with this girl.

Despite what I said, D. Va put the hammer in my hand and passes the game attendant money for one try. At this point, I realize there is no going back. I step up to the machine and take a deep breath. I observe the flashing lights going up and down the tower of the strength test and the brass bell at the top. Standing in front of the machine makes it seem as if it is twice the size.

I look over at D. Va and Mercy. D. Va is bouncing in excitement. Mercy gives me a warm smile and a thumbs up.

I look back at the machine. I can feel my hands start to become sweaty from all of the pressure to impress my friends. I lift the impossibly heavy mallet over my head. With all of my force, I smash the lever with the hammer. I can feel a shock go through my arms while the puck rockets up. With a satisfying ping, the puck hits the bell at the top and falls down. The puck hit the bottom of the tower and bounces a few times. D. Va runs over to me and slaps me on the back.

"Thata boy, Jason!" She exclaims,

"Yeah, Jason. That was very impressive!" Mercy says following D. Va. I would be brash or happy usually. But at this moment my arms felt as if they were devoid of the bones that once supported them.

D. Va goes over the the booth where the prizes are shown. She looks over the selection with a puzzled look.

"I can't decide what to get. Jason, can you help me?" D. Va asks me,

I go over and eye the shelves of stuffed animals and cartoon characters.

"How about that lion on the top?" I ask D. Va,

"Not that one, Jason." D. Va replies in a firm voice.

"How about the dolphin in the second lowest shelf?" I inquire again,

"I'm not feeling that one." D. Va replies in a childish tone, putting one finger to her lip to seal the deal.

This goes on for a few more suggestions until D. Va approves of the tiger on the middle shelf. With this, D. Va's collection grows by one more.

After this game, we decide it is time to leave. On our way out, I spot one of the water gun races.

"I want to do one more game before we leave." I tell the group,

To which D. Va replies in a snarky tone, "One more win couldn't hurt,"

"May I remind you of who won the last game," I reply in an equally as snarky tone.

We all sit down at the booth and wait for the game to start.

After a few minute, enough players sit down at the game.

The countdown for the game starts.

1..

2..

3..

Go!

We all start shooting our targets with our water guns. I'm able to hit the center decently but D. Va is constantly nailing the center. In the center of the booth is a track with cars moving along it represent each player's progress. D. Va is in the lead and I am in second. I really want to beat D. Va head-to-head to stop her bragging. I focus intensely on the target and think of every motion I make. I am able to improve my aiming which causes my car to close the gap between me and D. Va.

Our cars are neck and neck. We are about a quarter of the way through the track at this point. My focus is laser like with all my effort being used to make miniscule adjustments to my aim. My car is able to pull forward and cross the finish line before D. Va's. A light turns on in front of me signalling that I won. D. Va folds her arms in response to my victory.

"I'm just tired from staying up late last night. I wasn't able to focus because of it." D. Va says in a poor attempt to deflect the shame of losing to her childhood friend.

The game attendant approaches me.

"Which of these wonderful prizes would you like, son?" he says in a chippy voice.

I think for a second and respond, "I'll take the stuffed horse, please."

"Good choice," the attendant responds.

He grabs the horse and passes it to me.

"Good job, Jason!" Mercy says to me

"Thanks, Mercy. Would you like my prize?" I ask her,

Upon hearing this, her face lights up with a smile.

"Oh, but you worked so hard for it. Do you really want me to have it?"

To which I respond with, "I insist,"

I hand her the horse,

"Thank you so much, Jason!" Mercy says with a bright smile.

Over the horizon, the sun disappeared underneath the lake. The orange sky is replaced with a dark, starry night.

"Looks like we better start heading home," I tell the group.

Mercy seems infatuated with the horse I gave her and didn't hear what I said.

I rest my hand on her shoulder and say, "it's time go now, Mercy."

Mercy slowly look over to my hand on her shoulder and then tilts her head until she is looking at me. Her mouth drops and her cheeks become red.

I notice a glare in my peripheral vision but I decide not to look over.

I look Mercy in the eyes and say, "Are you okay?"

Mercy snaps out of her daze and gives a simple nod.

All three of us leave the fair through the exit.

While walking outside on the path outside the carnival, D. Va turns to me and asks, "Could you carry these too your house so i don't have to lug them home? I could pick them up later."

I sigh and respond with a reluctant, "Sure,"

D. Va then passes me her load of stuffed animals.

I split off from the two because my house is in a different direction.


	33. Chapter 33: Walk in the Woods

Mercy and D. Va are strolling through the forest together on a gravel path. D. Va is walking on the stones at the edges of the path. She is holding her arms out to balance herself as she hops from rock to rock. Mercy is fixated on the horse she received from the fair and is holding it out in front of her as she is walking. She is oblivious to the gentle sound of crickets chirping in the forest. The path is lit by a full moon and a thousand stars.

Suddenly, curiosity overcomes D. Va and she hatches a plan. She jumps off the rocks and starts walking next to Mercy. Mercy is unaware of this for a while but then looks over at D. Va. Mercy notices that D. Va is uncomfortably close, staring at her and smiling.

D. Va breaks the silence, "You seem awfully attached to that horse Jason gave you," D. Va says in a smug tone,

To which Mercy replies obliviously to D. Va's inquiry, "Well it was a very nice thing for Jason to do. Also, I love horses." Mercy added the last part on quietly.

D. Va starts to walk a few paces ahead of Mercy and brings her thumb and pointer finger to her chin. "So, you value his generosity, Mercy?" D. Va asks while looking ahead.

Again, Mercy responds honestly, "Of course, I find it quite remarkable."

"Anything else you find remarkable about Jason?" D. Va questions Mercy

Mercy blushes and looks away. "What for?"

D. Va shrugs, "Curiosity, nothing more."

While maintaining a blush face, Mercy tells D. Va while rubbing her arm, "I would say his intelligence or kindness, but to be honest, it is how he has been patient with me. I went from a girl that couldn't hold a proper conversation to being good friends with him. I feel that I am able to be close with him."

To this, D. Va says while still looking forward, "Friends… right, right."

Because of this comment, Mercy becomes more suspicious of D. Va but says nothing.

D. Va continues to push Mercy by saying, "So Jason came out of nowhere and seemingly changed your life?"

She almost speaks but stutters. She is unable to formulate any type of response. Mercy stops dead in her tracks and D. Va invades her personal space once again.

"So, why haven't you tied the knot yet?" D. Va asks Mercy

Mercy can do nothing but stare in embarrassment at the petite interrogator.

Mercy manages to stutter out a weak, "Wh-what?"

D. Va responds, "You know, take the final leap. Get to first base, second base, anything."

Mercy takes a deep breath and regains some of her composure. She is still blushing when saying, "I haven't thought of him that way."

D. Va puts on a large grin and says, "I guess that leaves him all for me. Good to know what I don't have a rival." She chuckles

Mercy can only let out a "huh?"

D. Va laughs some more.

"Well, I have been his friend, for like what, forever? Not just friend, best friend. You think I wouldn't want to finalize this relationship? Good to know I'm the only boxer in the ring," D. Va says confidently while symbolically raising her fists as if she is about to box some phantom opponent.

Mercy realizes that she is in a pinch, she instinctively says, "Just because you are his childhood friend, doesn't mean that you are the only girl he cares about."

D. Va asks coyly, "So what are you to Jason?"

Mercy is quiet for a second and reluctantly says, "A good friend,"

D. Va puts her hands on her hips and stares at Mercy. Mercy sees the angry and motivated face of D. Va.

D. Va then takes a step back and lets out a childish laugh.

"You should've seen the look on you face. So serious and angry. So un-Mercy of you." D. Va says while laughing, "I just wanted to see if you love Jason, which, clearly is true. But I did mean everything I said back there but, ultimately Jason will have to make the final choice. But I'm confident that I will come out on top."

D. Va starts walking down the path leaving Mercy stunned.

"Have a good night, Mercy." D. Va says, waving back, as she is skipping down the path. D. Va enters the town at the end of the path and disappears around a corner.

Mercy, while standing by herself and surrounded by cricket sounds, manages to let out a "huh?".


	34. Chapter 34: Friendly Competition

D. Va is skipping through the town with her chin held high, beaming with pride. She is passing through a quiet market place where all of the stores are closed due to the time of day. The street lights cast her shadow over the dark store fronts.

She is proud of how masterfully she executed her plan, which went flawlessly.

She is now entering her neighborhood as she gets closer to her house.

D. Va knew that it was pointless to fight with Mercy. For one, she genuinely likes Mercy and considers her a close friend. Two, D. Va knows that Jason will still be friends with Mercy even when the two childhood friends start dating.

D. Va arrives her house and quietly opens her door.

A week after the gang went to the fair, D. Va invited to what she cryptically described as "something you'll want to see". Because D. Va doesn't have a car, I have to drive to wherever or whatever she has in store for me.

I roll up to D. Va's house and ring the doorbell. I'm treated to about 5 minutes of silence until I decide to text her.

"Im at ur house" I send to D. Va

"Just 3 mins" I get in response

15 minutes pass and I'm waiting in my car. D. Va throws open the front door and jogs over to my car. On the way, D. Va is trying to straighten out her hair with her hand. She is wearing an old, black hoodie. She is also sporting athletic shorts and hi tops.

She opens the car door and sits down in the passenger seat. She is clearly out of breath.

Before I can say anything, D. Va reads my face and says, "Don't judge, I got up a 5 minutes ago."

"Five?" I reply in a snarky tone

"You can't rush a lady," D. Va replies

"My apologies Miss. I forgot that the lady doth stay up too late playing video games," I stress the word lady.

D. Va crosses her arms and looks away. I can tell that she is smiling. I start driving and put on my favorite radio station. Sweet Carolina comes on the radio.

"I love this song," I tell D. Va in an enthusiastic tone.

D. Va looks like she is daydreaming while staring out the car window.

I start singing to the song, "Reaching out…. Touching me….." I lean over to the passenger side "Touching you!..."

D. Va turns over to me and sings "Sweet Carolina!"

We both exclaim, "Bum! Bum! Bum! Good times never seem so good!"

Suddenly I realize that we have been aimlessly driving since picking up D. Va. I immediately turn off the radio and ask D. Va. "Wait, where are we actually going?"

D. Va looks a cute combination of panicked and embarrassed, as her face grew blushed and her eyes went wide. "Uh..uh we are going to uh." we look around desperately looking for some landmark to guide us or at the very least give us an idea of where we are. But all that surrounds us are wheat fields.

After a painstaking journey, and having to stop for directions… Four times. We finally arrived at our destination, a large convention center with a banner outside that read "Gamercon". If I had not been so frustrated, I would be happy to be here. I get into the line for the parking garage which took 2 hours. We finally get a parking and head to the back of the line to get in. The line stretches to timbuktu. The heat was unbearable even though I was wearing shorts. D. Va takes off her sweatshirt to reveal a white tank top. She then ties the sweatshirt around her waist. After an hour of waiting, we get are tickets and enter the chaotic convention center. Inside, there is a large, open space full of stations from various game studios. The isles between each station are filled with cosplayers and excited nerds.

D. Va, giddy with enthusiasm, grabs my hand and starts running through the convention center. I'm so tired from the car ride here that I'm not showing any resistance to D. Va. To be honest, I do get some enjoyment seeing her eyes light every time she visits a stand.

While dragging me in between stations, D. Va turns around and faces me.

"There is a specific game I came here to see. It is just down here." D. Va says to me with a sense of passion.

She tows me over to one of the largest stations in the center, the Nintendo station. The walls of the station are lined with wiis and televisions to play on. In from of the station are life sized models of iconic Nintendo characters. We get in line to play the game D. Va is excited about.

"So D. Va, tell me why you want to play this game so much." I ask D. Va in a snarky tone

To which D. Va replies with, "I have been into this series my whole life! When I saw the trailer, I knew I had to play it early."

When are turn comes around, D. Va and I play against each other and I am destroyed. After playing for awhile, we both exit the station.

"So what did you think of the game, D. Va?" I ask her curious to see if the game meets the astronomically high expectations of D. Va.

"I think this is going to be one of the best games ever!" D. Va exclaims

'What do you want to do now?" I ask her knowing that nothing else can live up to the last station.

"How about we go down the shopping aisle to get some souvenirs." D. Va says as if I had a choice.

This time, I am not yanked by D. Va but insead walk next to her. As we stroll through the busy aisle, I observe the many stalls full of plushies and t-shirts of many colors.

After walking for a few minutes, while looking at shops and talking with D. Va, I decide on a stall to go to. We get it a short line to get to the front. While D. Va is busy looking at the products offered, I purchase a purple hoodie with a cartoon bunny on it. Before D. Va can notice, I put it in a bag to carry around in. D. Va then purchases a few Pokemon plushies from the same stall.

After D. Va finishes buying her goodies, we continue down the shopping aisle and occasionally stop so D. Va can pick up a t-shirt or some other merchandise.

"I think it is time for us to head out, it's getting pretty late out." I ask D. Va

D. Va replies in a reluctant tone, "Fine, fine but I have been having such a good time though." D. Va's tone flips and a smug smile grows on here face, "Surly a gentleman of your caliber would carry a lady's parcels." She lifts her arms up towards me with tons of bags hanging from them.

"Even though you were the one who wanted me to come her with you? Fine, I guess I will do it."

I somehow manage to grab on to all of D. Va's bags along with my singular bag.

I am able to lug all of the baggage to the car in the sweltering heat while D. Va skips her way towards the car.

Unlike our ride to the convention center, the ride home was much easier.

I pull in front of D. Va's lawn so she can get out. Before she turns to leave, I caught her forearm.

"Hold on a sec, I got you something." I say and reach in to the back for my bag. I bring the bag to the front and pass it to her.

D. Va has on a surprised look as she pull out the hoodie from the bag. She holds it out in front of her to reveal the design.

D. Va's eyes light up as she observes her new gift. She brings the sweatshop to her chest and says, "Thank you so much Jason! It's so cute."

Even though I knew D. Va would love the gift, her girly response surprised me. I guess even D. Va can be feminine if she wants to.

"I knew you would like the gift, I just wanted to thank you for planning this out." I say to D. Va

D. Va responds in a sincere tone, "Well I had a great time and we should do stuff like this more."

She opens the car door and steps out into the evening. I wave to her as she walks to her two story, suburban house. D. Va responds with a wave as she unlocks her front door and enters.


	35. Chapter 35: Downtown Cafe

_The following chapter will be in the eyes of Mercy_

The sun beams joyfully through the windows in my bedroom. I spring up from my bed egare to start a new day of summer. I open my closet and look at the colorful array of clothing. I flip through my closet to find something that fits my mood. I decide on a white sundress because of how nice of a day it is.

I brush my teeth and prepare to do my hair. My first few attempts to fix my hair were fruitless. I couldn't get the lock of hair in the front just right. In my frustration, I thought, "What would Jason think?". I quickly pushed this thought out of my head. Why should I care? And why would Jason care about something so small. I manage to get everything straightened out. I settled on a twisted crown braid.

I go over to the window and observe the beautiful scenery outside. Cheerful songbirds are perched on my mothers bird feeder. The sky was a deep blue with a few fluffy clouds sprinkled around.

I glide downstairs and out the front door into the fresh air. The scent of flowers and the endless possibilities of the day surround me.

While walking to a park, I find myself by D. Va's house. I decide to check up on her to see how she is doing.

I walk up her driveway and then through the path to her front door. The environment around D. Va's house is just as cheerful as it is around my house. I knock on the door and D. Va's mom answers. She greets me and directs me to the basement where D. Va is.

I open the door that leads to the basement and reach in to turn on the light. The walls are a dark blue color and the carpet on the stairs is grimy. This is very different than the rest of D. Va's house which is neat and clean. I advance further into the basement by turning the corner in the staircase. I get to the bottom of the stairs which is a hardwood floor. I cannot see much but the immediate area at the base of the stairs. I search for a light switch and I flip it on.

The lights of the basement come alive to reveal a cluttered mess around me. I see an old couch on the other side of the basement facing a projector screen. On the rug in front of the couch lays D. Va asleep. She is sprawled out on the rug wearing a purple hoodie and athletic shorts. She is surrounded by soda cans and empty bags of chips.

I'm nervous about disturbing her and moving further into the mess of a basement. I work up the courage and progress towards D. Va. When I get close to her, I gently shake her shoulder and step back. I wait a second to see if she wakes.

D. Va opens her mouth and lets out an audible yawn.

"What time is it, Mom?" D. Va says with a slur. It is obvious that she is not rested.

"D. Va, it's me, Mercy. You really shouldn't be living in these conditions." I tell the half asleep girl in front of me, "This place represents a pig sty more than a lady's room." I gesture to the piles of trash and clutter occupying the room.

D. Va manages to put on a smile, "Ah, I was right. It is you, Mom."

"You need to get up. You look like you haven't seen sunlight in days. It's not healthy for you." I say as I grab her arm and attempt to pull her up. However, I'm barely able to lift her upper back.

"Mercy, leave me alone…" D. Va mumbles half asleep.

"What if I treated you to lunch."

Even though D. Va's eyes are closed, her expression relaxes.

"Can I pick where?" D. Va asks curiously

"Very well, just no fast food joints. Those are not healthy"

"Well that limits me to exactly one place" D. Va says with a hint if disappointment, "There is this cafe I like, don't worry it's authentic" D. Va says.

And so we left after giving D. Va time to freshen up of course. After walking for a while talking about whatever came to mind or what they saw, with a few games of I spy to boot. We finally arrived at the cafe. It was a small establishment in the center of town cozily places in between a gym and a shopping center. Once D. Va dragged me inside, it gave an atmosphere of tranquility. A few high schoolers typed away furiously on a set of laptops arguing over the development of some "project". A lonely office worker reviewed papers over a nice cup of coffee. I was surprised by how modern the place looked, hardwood floors, long windows and the rich smell of coffee persisted throughout the cafe. We head to the counter and place our orders. Once that is done we take a booth seat by the window overlooking the street. The seats are made with fancy leather and dark hardwood sides.

"This place is not what I had in mind when you recommended it" I say to my petite company.

"Ha! What, did you think I would drag you to some den filled with nerds of all types obsessing over fictional characters?" D. Va says with half smile.

"I'm sorry to say that is what I had feared. I'm sorry I ever doubted you D. Va." I say in embarrassment

In order to change the subject I decide to complement her. " I love that sweater you are wearing D. Va, that bunny is adorable!" I say tilting my head smiling warmly at the cartoon.

D. Va lights up with pride. "Thanks! Jason bought it for me a few days ago, he said the same thing."

"What, he.." I say with shock.

"Order 13, order 13" the waiter calls

"Over here, sir" D. Va waves energetically towards the server. The server places before us our order. I grab my tea and biscuits and begin to nibble on them, while D. Va drinks her colorful frappuccino and sets aside her doughnut for later.

"So...Jason bought it" I say quietly.

"Yep!" says D. Va beaming with pride.

"He said that he knew I would love it. He has always been able to know just what I love." D. Va says with a red hue dancing upon her face.

"He's always been able to know what you like?" I ask her somewhat saddened at this revelation.

"Well… yeah he would always find some gift or trinket that made my day." D. Va mumbles, now with a full on blush, though she is desperately trying to hide it with her hand.

I feel my heart snap in two. I never had a chance from the beginning did I? They have been together since birth, with untold years of time to fall for one another. I was the third wheel that's only role was to impede on their mutual love.

"Mercy…. are you ok? You look sick." I hear a soft voice. I snap back to reality from my internal crisis.

"Yeah.. I'm fine" I say quietly.

"Are you sure? You look on the verge of tears." D. Va now looks visibly worried for her friend. The rest of the meal is in total silence. After we leave, we give our goodbyes and go our separate ways.

 _This ends the section in the eyes of Mercy_


	36. Chapter 36: The Finer Things in Life

I was just playing video on the couch when my phone starts ringing. I pause my game and reach over to my phone on the coffee table I have been resting my feet on. I notice the it was D. Va calling me.

I answer the call and place the phone by my ear. On the other end of the phone, a nervous woman speaks.

"Hey Jason, um, I was eating lunch with Mercy yesterday and she seemed sick. Can you go and check up on her? I know she would want that." D. Va speaks

To which I reply with a hint of concern, "What do you mean sick?"

"I don't know, she just kinda 180'ed during our lunch. Afterwards, she just looked stressed." D. Va says with more concern than my own voice.

"Alright D. Va, I'll text her and see how she is doing."

"Thanks, Jason." D. Va says with a sigh of relief, "I know if anybody could fix her mood, it'll be you."

I hang up my phone and and shoot Mercy a text.

-Hey mercy, how r u doing?

There was around 6 minutes of wait time but I get a text back

-I'm doing fine, Jason. Thanks for asking!

With this answer, I feel a sense of relief. I send her a reply text.

-Do u have plans for the day?

I get a text back much quicker this time

-I'm just going to an art museum today. Nothing to exciting.

Upon reflex, I replied,

-Mind if u joined u?

An unsettling few minutes pass and I receive this

-Sure

I get my stuff together and head to my garage. I get on my old 6-speed bike and head off to Mercy's house. The weather outside is cool and the sky's cover in a thick, gray cloud.

I arrive at Mercy's house and ring the front door bell. Mercy answers the door.

She has her golden, blond hair in a braid over her shoulder with a lock of hair over her forehead. She is wearing a blue, turtleneck sweater tucking into a long, black skirt that goes halfway up her stomach. On her feet are flat, black loafers.

"How's it going, Mercy?" I ask her

She looks over her shoulder and rubs her arm. "Oh, I'm doing fine."

"Shall we be off, then?"

"Sure," Mercy replies,

We both head off on foot towards the town center to visit the art museum.

We arrive at a brick building with columns in the front. Both of us end the front door and go through the museums metal detectors.

Mercy passes through the metal detector without a problem. However, the detector beeped when I went through. I start emptying my pockets on the table next to the detector. I first pull out my wallet then my phone. Lastly, I pull out my keys with my old friendship charm on it. The charm was given to me a long time ago. It has a coin of a bunny on the end of the chain.

Mercy notices on the table but doesn't say a word. She just stares at it.

I am now able to pass through the metal detector without an issue. Inside the museum, the walls are a blank white drawing attention to artfull paintings on the wall. Mercy moods instantly changes as she heads for the nearest wall.

I stand next to her and stare a portrait of someone. I just realized I know nothing about art and I will have to go the whole day faking it. I put my hand to my chin pretending to be intrigued by the piece in front of me.

"What a moving point. Don't you agree?" I ask Mercy

After saying this, I remembered that I should be more quiet in the art museum because everyone is looking at me with an annoyed face. Even Mercy is looking at me with an embarrassed face.

"Not so loud, Jason." She whispers to me.

"Sorry, forgot." I whisper back

"And to answers, I do find this piece very interesting due to the color…" I daze off as Mercy begins an info dump. "... also the piece has a very interesting texture. What do you think?"

My daze is broken and I realize I'm in a tricky situation. I think of a get out of jail free card.  
"Well personally, I'm not too sure due to how unique this piece is compared to his other works."

To which Mercy responds with a smirk her face, "You seem to be a fan of his work. But do you even know his name?"

This question is even harder because there is a right answers.

"Ummmm… wasn't it… Da Vinci?"

After hearing this, Mercy's smug grin grows as she gestures to the plaque in front of the painting with the title and painter.

I blush a little because the answer was in front of me.

We move on to the next piece which is a life sized, marble statue of a man. Mercy start admiring the careful attention taken to the statue by looking from different angles. I follow her aimlessly because I absolutely no idea what I'm doing.

I spend most of the day following Mercy while she explains every piece to me with me pretending to know what I'm talking about.

After we finish up, we leave with me feeling proud of my acting abilities.

Mercy turns to me and says, "Thanks for coming to this with me even thought this was your first time at an art gallery."

My insides sink as I realize she saw through my impenetrable facade.

I try to protest, "Well actually, I've been to many art museums before." I lie.

Mercy's smirk returns, "Name one,"

I'm perplexed again and let out an "uhhhhhh…"

Finally, I throw my hands in the art and say, "Fine, you win. I know nothing about art."

Mercy gives out a deep belly laugh, "Well, I'd be happy to teach you about art." She says through deep breaths

My mood perks up instantly but I have to remain cool, "Yeah, Sure." I say somewhat embarrassed.

We walk back to Mercy's house where I dropped her off and picked up my bike.

Before I head out I hear Mercy beckon me from her porch. As I approach her she wraps her arms around me and pulls me into a quick hug before releasing me "I just… really want to thank you for today... I think I needed today, so thank you Jason. I've never had a friend like you." And with that she stepped into her house leaving me speechless on the front porch. I headed home after I regain my senses as the sun started to get behind me.


	37. Chapter 37: Halftime havic

I start today off like the one before, lazing around on the couch. I was busy enjoying myself when my phone rings on the coffee table. I reach over and notice that it is D. Va. I sigh and wonder what she could want again.

I pick up the phone and put it towards my ear.

I start off talking, "Yes, D .Va?"

"Hey, Jason. I have an extra baseball ticket with me. Do you want to come to the game with me today?"

Although, it doesn't seem like it, D. Va has always loved baseball.

I respond to her question, "Sure, I would love to go."

She replies with, "Great, I'll pick you up when the time comes."

We both hang up.

I wait on the couch until my doorbell rings. I head to the door and open it to reveal D. Va.

She is wear the home team Jersey, which is white and red, which is one or two sizes too big for her. She is sporting a pair of short jeans and tennis shoes. On her head is the team's baseball hat with her brown hair going through the end in a ponytail.

We head out to her car which is an old, sedan and head off.

Pulling into a gravel parking lot, we give our tickets to a teen volunteers at the entrance. The dust is kicked up from the hustle and bustle of passing cars and the stampede of the teams running from sandlot to sandlot. The whole area is four rotating ball fields with a large concession stand in the center.

"Hey Jason, you want to grab something from the stand over there" D. Va gestures towards the center of the main hub that all four fields are connected to.

"Sure I could go for a hotdog" I say as D. Va skips ahead of me and orders two hotdogs for us.

Naturally D. Va "forgot" her money at home so I ended up paying for the privilege. We move to our seats at the first field and sit down. The teams are warming up near their respective dugouts. As we wait for the game to start, D. Va and I begin to devour or food.

"You know it's been too long since we last went to one of these." Said D. Va wistfully.

"Yeah I… oh hold still for a moment." I bring my hand up to the corner of D. Va's mouth and wipe a small trace of ketchup form her face. D. Va goes red and turns away from me. Finally the game begins the first up to bat is player 76, the supposed hot shot of the team. Walks up to the plate.

Before the pitcher throws the ball, the batter points two fingers to his eyes then to the pitcher's mound. On his first swing he hits a homerun starting the game off on a high note. As the game goes on, I begin to notice how high quality this small town ball field is. The walls are a padded green and the seats are pleasantly comfortable. In fact, there's even a decently sized projector screen at one end of the field by the scoreboard. I would appear that this field held the quality of most minor league fields.

As the innings pass by their is a stop in the action all the players return to their dugouts. For a moment I was confused as we were only in the 6th inning of the game. But my questions are answered when a mascot takes the field " _wow they really take this seriously."_ I thought to myself. A few ceremonies pass, a few races, charities and a competition or three. But just as the game was about to start up again a voice came from the announcer box

"Alright ladies and gentlemen it's time for every couples favorite moment… the kiss cam!"

I slouch into my seat praying to whatever lives above us that I do not appear on the projector. Looking around at the fellow spectators I notice that the seats are packed. So I find some solace in the fact it is unlikely that I will be picked. A few couples go by and it seems that we are finally about to return to the game. I turn to D. Va to joke about the ceremonies until.

"Now let's give it up to this last adorable couple in the front row!" The announcer says aloud. In embarrassment I see none other than D. Va and I in the projector as all eyes are focused on our next move. I can feel a deep, red blush on my face. Looking at D. Va for some support all I find is a devilish smug. Before I know it her ball cap is in her hand covering our faces from the display as I feel her warm lips press against mine.

After the chear of the crowds subsides and D. Va pulls away, returning the ball cap to her head, I notice that she still has the smug smile along with a cherry blush on her checks. I'm left in shock as to what just happened.

I'm the first to acknowledge this kiss, "I didn't expect you to be the romantic type,"

D. Va's light blush intensifies, "Well, if you are weird enough to wipe ketchup off my face, then you can't complain."

To which I respond, "I'm not mad at you, I'm just surprised."

We go the rest of the game as if nothing happened. Afterwards, D. Va drives me home and drops me off.

"Hey, Jason!" D. Va calls out to me as I leave.

"Yes, D. Va?" I respond

"I had a good time today, thanks for coming."

"No problem, I had fun as well." I say before D. Va drives off.


	38. Chapter 38: A Peaceful Walk

Meanwhile in the group chat between the three friends.

Jason- Hey, u guys want to get together?

Mercy- Sure thing Jason. What do you have in mind?

Jason- The park good?

Mercy- Yeah, 1pm?

Jason- Sure

2 hours pass

D. Va- Is 3 good?

Jason- Seriously?

D. Va- Srry, busy

Jason- Busy?

Mercy- Sleeping

D. Va-I was not

D. Va- Ok i was

Jason- Fine, 3pm it is

3pm hits and I hop onto my bike. I head over to the local park to meet up with Mercy and D. Va.

I see Mercy sitting on a bench and I bike over to her.

"Hey Jason!" Mercy calls out to me as I head over.

I get off the bike and chain it next to Mercy's.

"How's it going, Mercy?" I reply to her

"Pretty well, we just have to for D. Va now." Mercy states

Mercy is wearing a white, straight skirt. She is wearing a white and blue plaid button up shirt with a light blue, denim jacket unbuttoned over it. The ends of her shirt is rolled up over the end of the jacket and the bottom of her shirt is tied together. She is wearing her hair straight down.

Mercy and I sit on the bench together and talk until D. Va comes. After 20 minutes, we see D. Va walking over to us.

She is wearing the purple sweatshirt I bought for her. She is sporting short athletic shorts and sneakers. Her hair is in a messy ponytail.

"Hey, sorry I'm a little late…" D. Va opens up with

To which I respond with, "Weren't you the one who wanted to meet at this time?"

D. Va becomes a bit more timid, "Umm… Maybe."

Mercy says in a gentle tone, "Never mind that. Let's just enjoy ourselves."

We start walking through the park and talking about anything under the sun.

After a while, Mercy asks me, "So Jason, what were you up to yesterday? You didn't answer my call."

I tell her, "Sorry about that. I was busy…"

D. Va suddenly interrupts, "He was too busy kissing my at a baseball game!"

Mercy's mouth drops and her face speaks of disbelief.

I look over to D. Va with a stern face and say only, "Why…"

D. Va realizes that she has made a mistake and also becomes embarrassed.

Mercy looks disappointed and says, "Is this true, Jason?"

I gulp, "Technically,"

Mercy exhales and gives a half smile, "At least it wasn't your first kiss."

D. Va recoils instantly, "Jason, is this true?"

I'm perplexed, "Umm… maybe"

Mercy answers D. Va's question, "Yeah, it's true."

"You never told me about this Jason!" D. Va says while looking into my eyes.

I noticed that we have stopped walking and are just talking in the middle of the path. There are several other park goers looking on at the event that is unfolding.

Mercy looks at me as well, "Why didn't you tell me about what happened between you and D. Va?"

Both girls are on my side and leaning in on me.

"I.. Ummm…" I realize that nothing I say can stop this clash of the Titans.

D. Va and Mercy turn to each other after they come to the conclusion that they can't get anything out of me.

"So D. Va, how did you kiss Jason?" Mercy says to D. Va with a cocky tone.

To which D. Va responds smugly, "We kissed on the lips on a kiss cam at a baseball game. The whole stadium saw it." She then says in a pride tone, "So, how did you kiss Jason?"

"Well, it was at one of my family's christmas parties. Jason and I were away from the crowd when he spotted the mistletoe above us." Mercy says while twirling her hair with a finger. She seems lost in her own mind and is staring up in the air, smiling.

I become embarrassed amd feel my checks start burn. Mercy takes the liberty to take the moment down to the most finite details. D. Va notices me blushing. I glance at D. Va and see a face of pure disappointment with my reaction.

Eventually her face softens and then she crosses her arms. A smirk emerges on her face.

"Well Mercy, back in 5th grade when I was taller than Jason, I gave the little tyke piggyback rides." D. Va says with a huge grin.

Mercy walks up to D. Va and places her hand on D. Va's head. She moves her hand over to me while holding the same height. Mercy's hand is at my chest height.

Mercy inquires, "You taller than Jason? In what world?"

D. Va puts her hands on her hips, "I thought you were smart. You should have known that girls hit their growth spurt before guys."

Mercy responds in a monotone voice and a shrugs, "Well I knew that, I just thought you were the exception,"

I realize that this is spiraling out of control and needs to be stopped soon. I can the eyes of other pedestrians staring at us with confusion. I now know must be done.

I turn to D. Va. "D. Va, when we went to summer camp, you cuddled a wild deer." I say with a straight face.

D. Va becomes deep crimson while Mercy hide her smile, trying not to laugh. I then turn to Mercy and stare her in the eyes.

"And Mercy, at least D. Va doesn't run away when someone takes a picture with her." I say equally monotone voice.

Mercy becomes just as red and lets out a "b-but I.." and then turns around, mumbling to herself incoherently.

Silence falls upon the group. I start walking and after I get 10 feet away from the girls, they start to follow.

"Ladies, I'd love to stay here and insult each other but I want to have a peaceful evening." I say to the quiet pair.

…

We walk around in silence until the hours become to late. We all disband hoping that the next time we meet, this whole thing be behind us.


	39. Chapter 39: Romantic Diplomacy

_*the following chapter will be seen through the eyes of D. Va*_

My eyes open to the drab gray ceiling as i sit up. I am surrounded by what remains of my late night quest through the dark souls games. I am flanked on all sides by open cans of energy drinks and the remnants of a dozen bags of potato chips. In a trance I blindly reach among the litter of open cans and grab a half filled can of some off brand energy drink and down it in one go.

"Still got it" I say to my myself. With what little energy that I obtained from consuming the flat drink. I take a look around my basement turned bedroom and acting dining room. I look towards my old digital clock.

"Oh, three pm… I woke up early" I contemplate the idea of dropping back into bed. Mercy is going to be showing up soon so I have to get ready.

I am laying in the dusty rug in front of my old, worn couch. In front of me is my shelf full of game consoles with messy wires covering the back. The shelves are dusty and covered in random game disks. Over me is my projector, still warm from my extended gaming session last night. The top of the projector is covered in spider webs but it's hard to notice so I don't bother cleaning them. In one of the corners, there is a pile of cardboard boxes which the rest of my family uses.

I stand up and waltz towards the light switch, making huge steps to avoid stepping in trash. The lights flicker for a second and then shine a constant flow of fluorescent light. I grab a t-shirt from a pile by my couch and sit down.

After a bit, I hear the doorbell then footsteps coming down stairs.

"How do you live like this?" comes a concurred voice from around the corner. Mercy comes out of the stairwell with a disgusted look on her face.

"Welcome to paradise, Mercy," I say while leaning back on the couch and resting my feet on the cushions.

Mercy carefully walks over and tries to dust off one of the cushions on the couch before she sits. Any attempt to clean the couch is in vein.

"So," I say while cracking my knuckles, "Let's get down to business."

Mercy reluctantly says, "We need to come to some terms of agreement,"

"Okay, how about you stop talking to Jason for the rest of your life," I say with a smile.

"Ha ha ha, real funny," Mercy replies unenthusiastically.

"Fine, but we first need to agree not to fight in front of Jason," I say disappointedly,

To which Mercy responds, "I can agree with that."

"It's not even worth your time in the end, thought. I'm his childhood friend. I know him better than anyone." I tell Mercy with a hint of arugence.

Mercy rolls her eyes and says, "I think I'm going to vomit if I stay here any longer." She gets up and heads for the stairs.

"Hey Mercy," I yell to her as she turns to me, "let the games begin!"

Mercy smiles and heads for the door.


	40. Chapter 40: Gimme Shelter

_The story returns to Jason's point of view_

It is 11am right now and the weather is beautiful. I'm watching TV in the family room in my house. The window is open letting in a nice breeze.

I hear a ring from the door. I get up to answer it. I open the door to reveal Mercy.

She is wearing a white blouse tucked into a blue skirt with white polka-dots. On her feet are black slip-ons and on her wrist is a silver bracelet. Her blond hair is rolled up in the back.

I'm surprised at first and then open op with, "Oh, how's it going, Mercy?"

A warm smile comes on Mercy's face, "I'm on my why to volunteer at the animal shelter. Do you want to come with me?"

"Of course Mercy!" I say instinctively.

I realize the error in my way. I am horrible with animals which make them hate me. I now have to spend the next couple of hours trying to not get bitten while at the same time trying to impress Mercy.

Both Mercy and I head off down the street.

…

We arrive at the local pet shelter. The building is plan on the outside with a fenced off area to the side. Dog barks can be heard coming from within the shelter.

Both of us enter the shelter and the strong smell of musky animals fill the air. We walk passed the rows of cages filled with barking dogs.

I take note on the dirty condition of the shelter, "Hey Mercy, I didn't think this place would be so run down."

To which Mercy replies, "Well that's why we are here to help. Shelters have to have conditions like this to allow all animals to have a chance of finding a family."

We come to a door and enter. Inside the room, dogs are roaming free. A few notice Mercy and head over to be petted. Mercy takes out a bag of dog treats from her pocket and give some to the dogs. I go over to pet one of the dogs and it runs away from me.

"Don't worry Jason. They will get to know you." Mercy says reassuringly.

As she was talking, more dogs start gathering around Mercy. As the dogs approach Mercy, her presence alone passifies them. All seem to gather around her patiently awaiting for her to pat their heads or scratch their chins.

While she is petting some of the dogs, Mercy tries to cheer me up, "Don't worry Jason. There are over 100 animals at this shelter. I'm sure at least one of them likes you if I know you at all!"

To which I reply, "Let's start looking then."

"By any chance do you like cats, Jason? You seem like you would be a cat person." Mercy says in a whole hearted tone.

Me? I cat person. I don't think I would get along with cats but I have to go along with Mercy. With a false sense of confidence I say, "Alright, let's go there then."

Both we walk to cat section of the selter.

Inside the cat section, there is a forest of scratching posts and cat perch. Mercy picks up a cat and brings it towards me. The cat curls up near Mercy's chest in an attempt to escape me.

"Maybe this cat doesn't like. Don't worry, there are plenty more in her." She says enthusiastically.

She continues to pick up cats and all try to escape me. Some even jumped out of her hand.

After we do this for a while, we head over to the small animal section.

Mercy picks up a hamster and cups it in her hands. The small rodent then falls asleep.

I go over to pet the hamster but it quickly wakes and goes into a panic. Mercy puts the hamster back.

Mercy puts on a frustrated face on, "I was sure at least one of these animals would like you. After all, I like you." Upon realizing what she said, she blushes. "A-as a fri-iend."

"Don't worry, Mercy. It's not your fault." I say to comfort her.

After, we head out. I walk Mercy to her house and then go home.


End file.
